arbitrary arrest
Unlawful sudden seizure
Arbitrary arrest is detention without legal justification or due process—an arrest made on a whim, without proper evidence, or in violation of established law.
The term appears frequently in human rights contexts, where governments detain citizens without charges or trial: The regime used arbitrary arrest to silence dissidents.
International law prohibits it, though enforcement remains difficult.
- detentionTemporary official holding
- unlawfulForbidden by statute
- false imprisonmentIllegal restraint of movement
- imprisonmentLegal detention in jail
- warrantFormal authorization document
police · custody · wrongful · seizure · jail · political prisoner · prisoner of conscience · political dissident · legal representation · unjust · authoritarian · kidnapping · disappearance · dragnet · roundup · handcuffs · knock on the door · cell
- rights abusestorture, ethnic cleansing, political prisoners, disappearances, human trafficking
- human rightshuman dignity, civil liberties, right to liberty, right to life, fundamental rights
- detentionjail, detention centers, captive, prison, detention orders
arbitrary arrestdue process
Guaranteed judicial fairness
rule of law · habeas corpus · legal protection · civil liberties · constitutional rights
arbitrary arrestfreedom
Absence of constraint
release · liberty · acquittal · exoneration · personal liberty
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